The bicycle mayor of Victoria says helmets shouldn’t be necessary for cycling.

Susan Stokhof, the first bicycle mayor of Victoria – and the first ever in Canada – took to social media to share her views on helmet and safety gear for cyclists.

“In the Netherlands people come first in the street hierarchy and the car is the guest,” she shared on her Instagram account on June 1. “People are not forced into wearing safety gear and helmets to keep themselves ‘safe’ from people driving cars. The streets are designed for the safety and convenience of people, not car traffic. Therefore, the application of ‘safety gear’ becomes non-existent.”

Stokhof goes on to say that forced application of helmet use and safety gear is “a sign of a government who failed to provide proper separated infrastructure and is typical of a nation that worships car ownership and use, over the safety of people.”

Harsh words of reality, I know,” she said.

Stokhof was appointed bicycle mayor in April 2019 by BYCS, an international cycling advocacy group based in Amsterdam. She owns an online bike accessory boutique, Le Velo, and studied bike-focused urban planning in Amsterdam. Back in April, she told Black Press Media that Victoria needs to re-examine how it brands cycling.

“Even when we see Bike to Work Week, we’re always seeing people in Spandex,” she said. “My goal has always been to get out riding in style.”

Stokhof has spent the months since her appointment advocating for better cycling policy and infrastructure in Victoria.

On June 3 – World Bicycle Day – she posted: “Bicycle Mayors are the human face and voice of cycling progress. We are helping cities to uncover massive economic, health, and environmental benefits by rapidly increasing the adoption of cycling in cities.”

Stokhof also said, on Instagram, the most important lesson she brought home from her studies at the University of Amsterdam is that “it’s the people moving through the streets that matter most, not moving automobiles.”

“The safety of the streets in The Netherlands is set up for people. The social consequences of a normalized cycling culture are far reaching and we think it builds trust and confidence and permeates every aspect of social life,” she said.

When asked about her comments on safety gear, Stokhof declined an interview but pointed to her social media comments and said, via Facebook message, that “there needs to be a healthy and rational discussion around the application of the helmet law.

“Unfortunately this seems to be difficult for people to have,” she added. “I have discussed my views exhaustively and I have constantly been attacked for them. I have noticed it definitely has to do with the fact that I am a woman in a public position that people feel they can bully me.”

Stokhof said comments from her male supporters are received far better than her own and she is “no longer interested in feeding that monster.”

The Canadian Paediatric Society’s Injury Prevention Committee says head injuries are among the most severe injuries sustained with bicycling and represent 20-40 per cent of all bicycling injuries encountered in Canadian emergency rooms.